


The Bare Necessities

by foxy_mojito



Category: Crimson Peak (2015), OFC - Fandom, Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), Real Person Fiction, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Night Manager (TV), Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Films, Fluff, New Orleans, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-05-31 04:04:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6454942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxy_mojito/pseuds/foxy_mojito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lily is a university student in New Orleans on a movie set as an extra, but she never expected to meet one of the stars of the show - Tom Hiddleston.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spring Break

My heart was pounding, I was breathing hard, and there were candles lit all around me. The corset I had strapped tightly around my ribs was making it difficult to breathe, but that didn’t matter. I was chosen to be an extra on a beautifully decorated movie set for an upcoming Belle Époque period film, and I was delighted. There were a hundred others surrounding me, all dressed in turn-of-the-century costumes: women in large hats from which feathers emanated, wearing dresses of various colors and with sleeves ballooning from their shoulders. All of the men wore black suits with coattails fluttering about their behinds as they crossed the room to flirt with the ladies- some men had monocles and moustaches, others had canes and top hats.

The golden light from the candles illuminated the large ballroom in a romantic and eerie way, but I loved it. Although no audience would see my face on the big screen, I was happy to simply be a body making a contribution to the overall crowded look of the ballroom scene. This was an exciting way to spend my time off for Spring Break in the city that has quickly become the center of the Hollywood South- New Orleans. Most of my roommates planned road trips to the beaches of Florida or Mexico to party during Spring Break, but I chose to sign up for a week-long gig working as an extra on a film that had no name yet, but had a mind-bogglingly good cast- including Kate Winslet and Tom Hiddleston. My fondness for Brits and film created an inextinguishable excitement within me while I waited on the set for the actors to arrive and for the cameras to start rolling. 

I was especially excited to be able to see and hear Tom perform- he speaks with a fluidity and strength to which I can only compare a perfectly formed wave in the ocean, and he has the most incredible blue eyes that express even the subtlest juxtaposition of emotions. I always think of the appearance of anger mixed with love on his visage during his stage performance as Coriolanus, and it makes me realize how great of an artist he truly is. Even with all of the world-wide fame he recently acquired through movies like Thor and the Avengers, he has somehow managed to stay secretive about his personal life. Sometimes I like to imagine what his daily routine looks like- I’m sure he always goes on a run, recites some lines for upcoming jobs, drinks some tea… but what else does he do regularly? I felt the need to get to know him as a friend somehow (I would even go for simply being his pen-pal) so I could listen to and help him through his inner struggles. 

That was probably just my inner therapist talking, trying to help anyone and everyone with their problems. I was a Psychology major at Tulane University with an obvious need for a Spring Break, as now I was trying to psychoanalyze famous movie stars. Brilliant job, Lily. 

My daydreaming about my future therapist career stopped abruptly as the director entered the room with her camera crew. “Good evening, everyone!” she shouted through a megaphone. “We are going to start rolling in just a few minutes. Y’all are doing a great job so far, and y’alls costumes look fantastic! We want to create a scene of tension within the ignorant chaos of a party, so keep chatting and milling about like there is nothing wrong. When the actors come in the room, keep doing what y’all are doing- do not turn toward the actors. We will let the actors in soon. Thank you!”

A handsome extra whom I recognized as a student from campus walked toward me, but looked very different with his tuxedo and fake mustache. 

“Hello!” he shouted over the increased volume of noise that followed the director’s speech, “I think I’ve seen you on campus before! How are you liking this being-an-extra thing?!”

“It’s so exciting!” I replied with a hoarse shout, “But I’m getting slightly nervous now that we will be actually shooting soon! Would you like to act like you are chatting with me while the cameras roll?!” 

“Sure!” he replied. “I just need to make sure my girlfriend made it out of the dressing room, I will be right back!”

He pushed past me in the crowd and I was once again alone. Of course he had a girlfriend. 

My love life in college was disastrous to say the least. I decided I didn’t want to be hurt anymore, and I figured my lack of determination in keeping a relationship was due to the stress of school, so I swore off dating until I finished my degree. But that didn’t mean that I couldn’t flirt a little bit until graduation! 

The room quickly became filled with excitement again, so I knew the actors had entered. I pushed my way through hoop skirts until I reached a break in the crowd. That’s when I saw him- he had short, slicked back hair and was wearing a 3-piece tuxedo with coattails. Tom Hiddleston was divine. The way he carried himself through the room with Kate Winslet at his arm was enough to stun me with pure arousal in each and every one of my body parts. 

“Action!!” yelled the director. I tried to find an inconspicuous place back in the crowd to avoid being the odd one out in the scene without a partner, but I was having no luck with that. I could not help myself from staring at the center of room where he was, either.

“Why don’t we just end it right now, then,” Kate said seethingly to Tom. “Since you can’t hold up your end of the bargain, I’m out.” 

“But darling, I just need a few more days to get the money,” replied Tom, turning Kate close to him and taking her hands in his. “I will even add an extra ten percent,” he said added with a charming smile. 

He started to back up towards me with Kate, but I couldn’t move. All I could do was marvel at his height and confident presence. I unfortunately could not move quickly enough, so he stood right on my foot with his heel, thus making him and Kate topple on top of me and several extras. My hoopskirt snapped underneath me and stabbed me in the back of my knee through my pantaloons. “Ow!!” I screamed out louder than I intended. 

“Cut!” yelled the director. All of the extras gathered around us and the warmth from all the costumes and body heat plus my embarrassment was making me hyperventilate. The corset was really not helping at this point. I was struggling to get air down to my lungs and breathing loudly.

“Everyone back away!” I heard him shout with his deep, British accent. Tom helped the felled extras and Kate back to their feet and off of me, then lifted me off the floor in both of his arms so that I was on my own feet again. 

“Are you alright?” he asked with a look of horror and embarrassment on his face. 

“I think so…” I tried to say, but it was hard because of the pain in my leg and the stupid corset. 

“I’m so terribly sorry for this, this is all my fault. I should have looked where I was going,” Tom said to me with the utmost sincerity. “I will bring you to the medical team we have here on set.”

Tom signaled for me to follow him, and the crowd made a path him and me and he stormed past them. I limped behind slowly, and I could feel warm blood dripping down my leg.

The lack of oxygen within my body finally caused me to faint, leaving me without memory of what happened next.


	2. The Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily has another encounter with Tom, but he's not the person she thought he would be.

I awoke due to daylight coming through an unfamiliar window and curtains, and I realized there was a dark figure sitting close to me. As my vision focused, I noticed a distinct blue color in the man’s eyes, and an expression of pure concern on his face. “Thank God you’re awake,” Tom whispered. 

“Where am I?” I croaked, as my throat was sore from the artificial air. I was cold and started shivering. The smell of re-warmed food filled the air, and the fluorescent lights above me in the small room reminded me of waking up after a surgery I had several years ago… in the hospital.

“We brought you to the emergency room because you were unconscious and unresponsive, and after providing you with some supplementary oxygen the attending had you stay overnight,” Tom said in a naturally rhythmic and low tone. “The doctor said you will be fine, but you will need to rest for a few more days. Honestly, I feel completely to blame for this whole mess and I cannot express just how deeply sorry I am to have put you in the hospital.” Tom held his head in his hands and let his elbows rest on his knees. He was shaking his head and looking at the ground. He was still in coattails.

“Did you wait here all night with me?” I asked. I could not believe he had not gone back to his hotel, or back to filming. Why would he take time out of his busy schedule to stay with me, a random extra from the movie set?

Tom looked up and his eyes met mine instantly. “Yes, of course I waited here to make sure you were alright,” he proclaimed. “I’ve been to the cafeteria a few times since we’ve arrived, but I keep coming back right here to your side. Again, I can’t forgive myself for being so clumsy and falling on top of you. I need to make it up to you somehow.” 

This drama-filled act of self-punishment was a bit much for me. I had heard before that Tom was a true English gentleman and incredibly friendly, but at this point he just sounded whiny and desperate for me to forgive him. 

“I don’t think it was your fault,” I explained, “but I also don’t think you need to halt your schedule for me by staying here. A ‘get well soon’ card would have been enough.” At least I would have had his autograph! 

Tom sat up straight, crossed his right leg over his left, and interlaced the fingers of both hands while twiddling his thumbs nervously. “I suppose I thought it was my duty to help you as much as possible in your current situation,” said Tom, taken aback by my less-than-congenial response to him staying with me. He then stared directly into my eyes, making me torn between feeling nervous and turned-on. “I do have a confession to make to you,” he admitted. “I’ve found watching you sleep for the last several hours very calming. You are so beautiful. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving your side, so I made it seem to our director and crew that your condition was worse than it really is. That way I could stay here longer with you.”

Did Tom Hiddleston seriously just confess to being a creeper all night, watching me without my knowing or permission? How did the hospital let him stay even though he is not part of my immediate family? Those blue eyes and that charming smile must really come in handy sometimes…

I stared angrily back into his eyes, and without thinking I said, “Get out, now. You have no right to be here. I have no idea why the hospital staff let you stay, but you can’t stay here just because you want to stare at me like a creep, no matter how famous you are, or how highly you think of yourself!”

“I just thought it was a nice gesture,” he replied timidly, getting up from his chair. “I shouldn’t have been so honest with you, I guess.” He walked towards the door of my small hospital room, his long legs carrying him there in half the time it would have taken me. He was out of my room in seconds. 

My anger started to recede as I noticed the sensation of pain becoming stronger and stronger, and I finally remembered the hoop skirt piercing the back of my leg. The pain suddenly become so intense that I wanted to scream, and my vision was becoming blurry again. The room was spinning faster and faster.

 

Then I woke up- for real this time. 

My mom and my roommate Jacqueline were seated beside me in the hospital room, judging by the voices I heard, and this time I felt too weak to move. Was creepy Tom Hiddleston just a dream? I truly hoped so. 

“Hi sweetie,” my mom said soothingly. “We are so happy to see you.”

“How are you feeling?” Jacqueline asked quietly. She was supposed to be back at home in Mississippi for Spring Break. “We came as soon as we heard you were hurt.”

“I…I’m cold…and sleepy,” I said, trying to focus my eyes. “Was Tom here?” I asked.

“Who’s Tom?” asked my mom. 

“He wasn’t here, but he made sure you made it safely into the ambulance,” said Jacqueline, smiling. “He was so sweet and I could tell he felt so bad about the whole situation, but he said he had to get back to work. Also, the movie production team called and said you will be reimbursed for all of your medical expenses.”

“Oh, the handsome movie star who fell on you?” my mom asked, amused and laughing. “I forgot his name, is it Tom… Tom Huchin…Huddle..?”

“Hiddleston, Mom,” I corrected. I was relieved that he hadn’t actually been staring at me all night, but I became sad at the thought that our only interaction together was an emergency situation involving me going to the hospital. How embarrassing. 

Jacqueline then handed me a card. “He sent this for you,” she said with a hint of playfulness in her voice. “I didn’t open it yet, but I would be lying if I told you I’m not ridiculously jealous of you or excited to see what’s inside!”

That made me laugh, and I was already starting to feel better knowing my mom and my best friend were with me. I looked at the small envelope with my name on it and immediately my heart started pounding again. I ripped the top off of the envelope and found a plain white piece of card stock inside with a written inscription:

 

Dear Lily, 

I hope you are doing much better than when last I saw you. I’m so sorry to have caused you pain and a hospital stay, and I would like to make it up to you. I’ve included a card with a phone number at which you can reach me during my stay here in New Orleans. Perhaps we can grab coffee together sometime. 

If I don’t see you before I leave in 2 weeks, I wish you all the best. 

-Tom 

 

I couldn’t believe what I was reading. My mind started racing as I tried to figure out what I would wear, where we would meet, at what time, for how long, what would happen, would it be awkward? What would I talk with him about? Small talk can only go so far…

What would he look like? How long would it take for his eyes and smile to make me completely melt and render me useless in civilized conversation? How embarrassing would that be…  
I determined this was the opportunity of a lifetime, so I resolved to call him later, as soon as I had the energy. My mom and Jacqueline each held my hands as I fell back asleep again. 

The dreams I had about Tom during my nap were so erotic and satisfying that I was panting and sweating when I woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tom is not really a creep! I promise! 
> 
> Thanks again for reading :) There is still more to come.


	3. A Messy Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It looks like the rest of Spring Break is going to be a bit boring, but things change after Lily receives a phone call from Tom.

After spending three sleepy days in the hospital, I was able to take the streetcar and return to campus to resume my spring break. Sadly, I did not have the option of being a movie extra like I had hoped. As I gazed outside of the open window of the streetcar, I tried to think of something fun for me do instead. Perhaps I could go downtown and visit my favorite restaurants and jazz clubs, take a day to go to the zoo, or just relax with a good book for once. Unfortunately, my mom had already returned home to Los Angeles, my roommate left with her boyfriend to his home in New Jersey yesterday, and Tom Hiddleston still had not returned my call – so it looked as though the next four days of break were going to be pretty lonely. 

I pulled the cord to alert the streetcar driver of my stop and hopped off the car, walking slowly and thoughtfully towards my dorm. I was remembering my lovely dreams from the previous two nights. Luckily the creepy version of Tom Hiddleston had not returned to my dreams, and I had instead beautiful imaginings of us making love – in the first dream, Tom was embracing me and started dancing with me…   
Suddenly my phone was buzzing in my purse and I heard my loud ringtone. Harry Connick Jr.’s voice was singing, “Look for the bare necessities! The simple bare necessities, forget about your worries and your strife!”

“Hello?” I answered happily.

“Hello, is this Lily?” replied a male British voice. 

“Yes, this is Lily!” I knew it was Tom. My heart was racing, so much so that I felt the need to sit down on a nearby marble bench to catch my breath. “Is this Tom?” I asked excitedly.

“Yes, this is he,” he answered with a laugh. Oh, wonderful, I thought to myself, I’ve already embarrassed myself by sounding like a fangirl.

“I am so sorry I took so long to return your call, Lily. The last few days on set were so demanding that I needed all the rest I could get…I am, however, now a free man. I can meet up for coffee with you sometime in the next few days if you like, and I am available as soon as this afternoon. Your choice.” The happy way he spoke made it clear to me that he was smiling on the other end of the phone. 

“I can definitely meet up this afternoon!” I blurted. “Where would you like to go?” I asked. What am I doing? I asked myself nervously. 

“It’s all your choice Lily, I assume you know more about this city than I do- I’ve only been here a few days! This is actually a great opportunity for me to get to know the place from a local’s perspective.” He paused, then said in a deeper voice, “Although the circumstances are not as happy for you, I’m sure. How are you feeling today? I’m sorry I did not ask sooner.” 

“I’m doing a lot better, thank you. I just got back to campus and I’m walking around in the sunshine. It’s a beautiful spring day!” I shouted, clearly a little too excited. 

“You’re a university student?” he asked curiously.

“Yes, at Tulane University. It’s located just uptown, easily accessible by streetcar. I can hop on again to go downtown to meet you at Café du Monde in about an hour if you’d like!”

“Café du Monde… sounds French!” he said with another laugh. 

“They serve some great café au lait there, and I think they have the best beignets in town, if not the world. Just my opinion.” 

“I will have to taste them for myself this afternoon with you,” he mused. If I could guess, I would have said he winked after that last statement. 

“Okay, sounds great. See you in an hour!” I said loudly. 

“See you,” he said sweetly. 

After hanging up the phone, I started walking briskly across campus past all of the blooming trees to my dorm. I was smiling and going over the conversation I just had with Tom. Then I realized how quickly I needed to get showered and back on the street car!

I decided to wear a soft, pink maxi dress with a denim jacket and some comfortable sandals. I put a small umbrella in my purse in case it started to rain later (New Orleans has very unpredictable weather) and, after several minutes of deliberation, put some recently acquired Mardi Gras beads around my neck. I thought it would be cute to greet Tom with some authentic New Orleans beads, similar to being greeted with a lei after arriving in Hawaii.

I texted Jacqueline to let her know about my upcoming rendezvous while riding the street car. No response. She was probably having some long-awaited alone time with her boyfriend. I was glad that they were able to be alone for once, without me or other roommates being the way all the time. That made me realize that I would be roommate-less at school for the next few days, so I also had the chance for some alone time…

The streetcar rolled onto Canal street and I got off, starting my trek to Café du Monde. The café is located just along the Mississippi River, situated perfectly next to the famous St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. The air was warm, but not too humid yet. There was a soft, cool breeze that I could feel on my face. This helped immensely as my cheeks started to flush at the sight of Tom leaning against the wall of the café under the green and white striped awnings. 

I immediately felt under-dressed. He (of course) was wearing a dark blue suit and a white dress shirt without a tie. He had styled his hair to be more modern-looking than the last time I saw him in his coattails, and he was wearing very large sunglasses. I could not tell where his eyes were looking. The butterflies in my stomach were almost too much. Maybe he hasn’t seen me yet, I thought to myself. I could turn around and go back if I act quickly enough. 

Too late. 

He suddenly glanced at this watch on his left wrist, and in doing so caught a glimpse of me walking towards him. Tom scrunched his face slightly as if he were squinting, and he smiled his bright smile after realizing that he recognized me. His long legs started moving, and within seconds of walking towards me he was already embracing me in the more European way- that is, with a light kiss on the cheek. 

I know that several people have mentioned how good Tom smells after being close to him, but I was not prepared. The waft of cologne he was wearing mixed with the styling product in his hair was enough to make me start breathing hard, just as if I were waking up from one of my dreams. 

“Hello, Lily,” he said calmly with a smile. “You look like you are feeling much better than the last time I saw you.” He took off his sunglasses, and when his eyes met mine I, very awkwardly, did not say anything for what seemed like an eternity. All I could do was smile and feel the burning warmth in my cheeks. 

“Thank you,” I said finally. I looked sheepishly down at my feet and picked up the bottom of the long dress to head into the outdoor patio of the large, noisy café. “We can go this way and try to find an empty table, it’s open seating,” I said matter-of-factly. 

I realized that he would probably like to remain as incognito as possible, so I chose a small table in the back corner that had several paths of escape. I assumed that if anyone recognized him, we would be mobbed. I sincerely hoped that would not happen. 

He quickly walked ahead of me to pull out a chair for me. I could not seem to look into his eyes again. “Thank you, “I said again. Wow, Lily, I thought. You definitely are winning the award for most awkward person of the day. 

A waiter dressed in all white walked up to our table and asked for our order. This time, I could not avoid Tom’s gaze, and he looked to me imploringly for a recommendation. I got so nervous I could hardly speak coherently. 

“We, uh, we will… I think… we would like two hot cups of café au lait and one order of beignets, please,” I said with a struggle. I smiled at Tom and he smiled back with that smile of his. This was going to be an interesting evening. 

“That will be $6.95, please,” the waiter said as he wrote down our order. I had cash ready in my hand, so I handed him a $10 bill and said, “Keep the change, thank you.”

Tom looked quite confused. “I was not expecting them to ask for payment now, don’t they always send the check after a meal in America?” 

“Typically yes, but this place is different,” I said with a smile. “This is New Orleans, and anything goes.”

Tom began to pull something out of his pocket, and I realized it was some cash. 

“Please, I’ve got this covered,” I said to him as he looked up. “You didn’t have to contact me at all, but you decided to anyway, so this is my ‘thank you’ to you. Yay for beignets!” I said enthusiastically. 

“If that’s the case, we will just have to go out again so I may return the favor to you,” he said with a deep voice and a wink. “So, what is it you study at university? I studied Classics, myself.” He looked and sounded genuinely interested in my work.

“I’m a psychology major, and I hope to work with families coping with emotional trauma. I am potentially thinking of working in a school or other public entity, but I’m not quite sure where I would like to end up yet. I’m actually from LA originally!” I added quickly. 

“Oh, so you are not from New Orleans, then? You seem to fit in nicely here, especially with your choice of jewelry,” he concluded, smiling, with a hand gesture towards the Mardi Gras beads on my neck. 

“Oh my God, I almost forgot!” I exclaimed, immediately looping a few strands away from my neck. I happened to grab the blue and silver beads, which matched his suit and eyes perfectly. “I brought these for you - they are genuine New Orleans Mardi Gras beads that I caught at the Endymion parade myself. Although, I think they are actually just made out of cheap plastic in a factory in China… but anyway, may I?” I asked while making the motion to place the beads around his neck. He bowed his head down, allowing me to ‘lei’ him, and said “why thank you!” while laughing. 

The waiter arrived with the beignets and coffee while we were both still giggling. Each of the three large beignets on the plate was piled high with powdered sugar. I insisted that he have the first bite so I could see his reaction to the warm, soft, and delicious Café Du Monde beignet. I was also a little curious to see how he would handle the mess to come… and sure enough, as he tried to bring the donut up to his mouth, all of the powdered sugar flew all over the place. It landed on the front of his suit, into his lap, and, eventually, around his lips and face as he took a bite. 

I could not help but giggle at the sight of this handsome and charming man struggling to keep up his dinner manners! He also started to laugh, which sent the powdered sugar on an even longer journey onto the table and the ground. I grabbed a beignet for myself and started my own mess. It was a beautiful and hilarious moment. The beignets were delicious, as usual. 

“How do you like it?” I chuckled in between a bite of donut and a sip of coffee. 

“These are wonderful, thank you so much,” he said, laughing at the silly sight in front of him. I, too, had powdered sugar all over my dress, hands, and face. He handed me a napkin so I could clean up a bit, and then he started licking the powdered sugar off of his own fingers. I shuddered at the sight, immediately becoming turned on. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Are you getting cold? We can move inside if you like.” He had locked his blue eyes on mine, trying to discern if I was still sick, or if something else had come over me. I felt so physically attracted to him, and I am sure I was doing a horrible job of hiding those feelings. I sensed that he was catching on to my feelings of attraction toward him, and to my astonishment, I started to feel those same attraction vibes from him. This realization occurred to me shortly after his eyes had met mine, and I noticed suddenly that he had reached out his hand to wrap around my fingers on the table. His hands were so soft, and a little bit sticky from the sugar. The way he touched me was so flawless and gentle that nothing else in the world could take my attention or focus away from the perfect man sitting before me.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my fic. Please let me know what you think! There is more to come.


End file.
